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The differences between personal trainers and group fitness instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a personal trainer and a group fitness instructor. Additionally, a personal trainer has an average salary of $37,214, which is higher than the $35,867 average annual salary of a group fitness instructor.
The top three skills for a personal trainer include CPR, customer service and resuscitation. The most important skills for a group fitness instructor are CPR, yoga, and customer service.
| Personal Trainer | Group Fitness Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $37,214 | $35,867 |
| Hourly rate | $17.89 | $17.24 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 34,023 | 38,457 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A personal trainer is responsible for monitoring the client's fitness goals by assisting the client with specific and customized routines and exercises to promote healthy well-being. Duties of a personal trainer also include evaluating the client's fitness progress, creating safe programs to improve the client's stamina, educating the client with workout benefits, suggesting on a client's best nutrition plans, and motivating clients with their capabilities. A personal trainer should have excellent knowledge of the fitness industry to support the client's needs.
A group fitness instructor is responsible for creating fitness programs for a group with the same fitness goals, tailoring special instructions to engage the group and helping each individual achieve their healthy lifestyle objectives. Group fitness instructors monitor each trainee's progress, adjusting exercise routines and diet plans as needed, and ensuring that the group follows the training disciplines during fitness sessions. They must have excellent knowledge of the fitness industry, including the latest routines to provide options and a wide range of fitness programs.
Personal trainers and group fitness instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Trainer | Group Fitness Instructor | |
| Average salary | $37,214 | $35,867 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $53,000 | Between $23,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | AEA Investors | Bridgewater State University |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Education |
There are a few differences between a personal trainer and a group fitness instructor in terms of educational background:
| Personal Trainer | Group Fitness Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Kinesiology |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between personal trainers' and group fitness instructors' demographics:
| Personal Trainer | Group Fitness Instructor | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.3% Female, 36.7% | Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |